


More Than A Few Adjustments

by MysticalAuthoress



Series: Fate Brings Us Together [1]
Category: Escape the Night (Web Series), Video Blogging RPF, escape the night - Fandom
Genre: Awkward Romance, Escape the Night Season 1 Spoilers, Escape the Night Season 2 Spoilers, Eventual Romance, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Mental Health Issues, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romance, Takes place post Escape The Night Season 2, added in a couple headcanons for jetpack girl's past because how the HECK was she working for cedric, can't spit out the words, jetpack girl and riley have the feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-22
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-26 10:49:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14999279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MysticalAuthoress/pseuds/MysticalAuthoress
Summary: Jetpack Girl has a few things to adjust to after the Sorceress is defeated and the surviving guests leave the manor—not just trying to help the Sorceress’ good half, Riley, adjust to things after being trapped for a century in a glass box, but also with the sudden arrival of one Vincent Wells, who was apparently was stuck in another mansion for god knows how long.Okay, Jetpack Girl has a lot to adjust to, but it shouldn’t be something she can’t deal with. Right?





	More Than A Few Adjustments

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Youtube Red series “Escape The Night!”
> 
> So, I got into watching “Escape The Night” for about the past month or two, and I’m really excited to post this, as it’s my first fic for this fandom! I hope you enjoy reading it!
> 
> Warning: Takes place post-Season 2, Season 1 and Season 2 spoilers, instances of PTSD and potentially other mental health issues, mentions of character death, Jetpack GirlxRiley

Jetpack Girl still recalled the whole event like it was yesterday.

The Sorceress’ good half, Riley, going forwards to slit the Sorceress’ throat after the Savant, Joey— _poor Joey_ —got stabbed while reclaiming the Crown of Oblivion. He’d looked so hopeful, so ready to finally leave this place and get back home, but it wasn’t meant to be, in the end.

Jetpack Girl felt guilty about his death. She could have at least shot the Sorceress, or something like that! Maybe at least disarm her, so the Savant had a better fighting chance to get the Crown _and_ survive?

But it happened so fast, too. She wasn’t sure if she’d get the Sorceress in time. She supposed she’d never know, now.

The last two guests, the Mystic and the Thespian, survived. They placed the Savant and the Crown of Oblivion in a coffin together, out of respect for him, and because they couldn’t just leave him dead and bleeding on the floor.

Riley was inconsolable, dropping the knife after realizing what she’d just done. And given what Jetpack Girl knew of Riley, from what the Mystic and Thespian explained to her before leaving, she couldn’t just be left _alone._

“Come with me. It’ll be okay.”

Riley trembled, soft, vulnerable eyes gazing into the other’s own. Jetpack Girl feared the worst, that she’d run away, out of the mansion, never to see her again with absolutely no idea what to do next, but…no.

No, Riley decided to stay with her. That had to mean something, right? That she trusted her?

Jetpack Girl had no idea what she was getting into, with offering to be there for this woman trapped in a box for so long, but now she was free, she needed help, and Jetpack Girl swore that she’d help her. 

* * *

 The whole first day after the Sorceress was vanquished, and the Thespian and Mystic escaped, Jetpack Girl spent half of it calming Riley down as best as she could, trying her best to explain the situation. Several cups of tea and lots of cookies later (she hoped there were no children baked in them), Riley ended up falling asleep on the couch in the Lounge.

Jetpack Girl took the time to cover her with a blanket, before checking the rest of the house for anything threatening. Just because the Sorceress was gone didn’t necessarily mean all the bad beings were gone, right?

 _Nope._ She was wrong—and for once, being wrong was a good thing.

There were no treacherous beings around. At least, _so far_. The lab was clear of Prometheans, and Jetpack Girl knew that she was the one behind disposing of them, in helping the Thespian, the Mystic and the Savant escape. And there was no way Cedric was returning, because he was off somewhere with his Automaton Bride.

The kitchen that once housed the Gingerbread woman and her captive assistant also was empty. Thank goodness, because Jetpack Girl knew she was starving and in need of a meal (once she removed all the ingredients that were children-related, of course, because she was no cannibal and she doubted Riley was one either).

Even the Ballroom, once full of vampires, was empty. Perhaps they fled once the Sorceress was defeated.

No werewolves outside, either, but then again it was daytime. Jetpack Girl hadn’t checked the upstairs, yet, but she decided it was best to check on Riley herself and see if she was okay. At the very least, the first floor and the grounds of this mansion where clear.

When she returned to the lounge, Riley was still there, still fast asleep. Jetpack Girl sat in an armchair nearby, watching her quietly, a sigh escaping her lips.

She’d known of what happened with Riley. To be stuck in that glass box, for so long? That wasn’t right. No one deserved that, especially not her.

A sharp whimper interrupted her thoughts, and her gaze snapped to Riley, moaning and crying in her sleep. Jetpack Girl got out of her chair, moving to kneel by Riley’s side.

“Riley.” Jetpack Girl tried to touch her forehead, to soothe her, “Riley, wake up. It’s a nightmare—”

She barely avoided getting slapped in the face as Riley’s eyes shot open, before the young woman sat up on the couch, hands batting at her. Jetpack Girl, surprised by the hands pushing her back, quickly moved back to give her the space.

“I-I…she…” Riley pulled her knees up to her chest, shuddering breaths escaping her, “She’s..”

“Gone.” Jetpack Girl tried to tell her. “The Sorceress is gone, remember?”

“I killed her.”

“Uh…” She wasn’t sure what else to say. “Yeah. You did.”

“I couldn’t help the…boy…” Little sobs escaped her again, and Jetpack Girl swallowed at the sight of her tears.

Before she could hand her a tissue or something to comfort her, she heard a door open from outside the room, then slam shut. Her hands turned to fists at her sides, and she forced them to relax as she looked to the startled, wide-eyed Riley.

“Stay here.” Jetpack Girl managed. “I’m going to check it out.”

Riley clutched onto her hand before she could turn to leave, and Jetpack Girl looked to her again, frowning. “It’s only going to be a minute, Riley. I’m not going to die.”

Riley didn’t let go of her. Jetpack Girl gently touched her chin with her free hand, looking her in the eyes.

“I promise I’ll come back, okay? I’m sure it’s just a malfunctioning machine or a draft. I’ll be back soon.”

Riley took a deep breath, whispered an “Okay,” and let her go. 

* * *

 To be honest, Jetpack Girl had no clue if _anyone_ came back to the manor since, well, leaving. She doubted the Thespian and Mystic would be back here. And the Sorceress was very much dead, too, so they couldn’t be back for her.

The worst crossed her mind in an instant after that. What if there was a spare Promethean? Or Cedric, demanding another human heart for his Automaton Bride? Could she protect Riley if they tried to go after her?

As she rounded the corner in the hallway, she saw someone standing in the main foyer, doors shut behind him.

A man stood there, but it wasn’t Cedric. He was far younger than the inventor, with disheveled dark brown hair, dark circles under his eyes, and the clothes he wore were worn and torn in places, like he’d been travelling a long while.

“Hello?” Jetpack Girl called out.

No response. The man stood straight ahead, staring into space.

Huh.

Did he not hear her the first time? Jetpack Girl moved closer, but paused as his gaze snapped towards her.

“Hey, uh,” Jetpack Girl slowly inhaled, “Do you, uh….need any help?”

He stepped back once, then twice. She stopped walking towards him, staying in place. Maybe the jetpack on her back right now was scaring him.

“Are you with him?”

He spoke so quickly that she barely caught his words. His hands trembled at his sides, jaw clenching.

“Him?” Jetpack Girl repeated. Did this man know Cedric?

The man shuddered, hands extended out in front of him. “Please, I told the doctor everything, I don’t want to go back in that straightjacket—”

“Whoa, wait, wait!” Jetpack Girl shook her head. “I’m not going to hurt you. I don’t think I even have a straightjacket in this house, and I don’t think I know this doctor you’re talking about. I just…” She swallowed, one thing at a time, breathe, “How did you get in?”

“The door...” He looked to the main door, then to her, “It was…unlocked…”

 _Shit._ Jetpack Girl immediately guessed that the Thespian and Mystic didn’t bother closing the door after them when they left. Taking a deep breath, she looked to the man again, whose arms were now lowered at his sides.

“Well,” She managed, “Honestly, I think I can use the company.” It was only her and Riley in this house otherwise, after all. “Just…try to make it known to me that you exist, so I’m not freaking out at the sight of you?”

The man simply nodded, silent. Jetpack Girl silently hoped that he was a genuinely nice person and not an asshole like Cedric was.

* * *

Good news: Vincent Wells, the man she found in the foyer of the house, was not an asshole.

After introducing him to Riley and figuring out what the hell happened to him before he ended up here, as well as explaining the situation regarding this whole house, things seemed to be relatively fine with having him around.

The bad news? He…well…he wasn’t like anyone she’d ever met before. Or was that supposed to be bad news? She wasn’t sure.

For instance, there was the fact that Vincent often stared at the lightbulbs. Not just lightbulbs, but flickering candles, too—like he was he trying to burn _holes_ into his eyes.

He’d explained to her that he was once trapped in a house. Not this one, but a completely different one, and he hadn’t looked back since he left.

When he explained that there were people trapped in _that_ house, too, Jetpack Girl thought of the people once trapped in _this_ house. Were they the same people? A completely different group of them? She would never know, would she?

It made her wonder how many people died to save Vincent, like how the one lady, the Vaudevillian, died to have her heart put in Cedric’s Automaton Bride.

Damn that bride. If it didn’t have to be made in the first place, another innocent person wouldn’t have to die. Jetpack Girl had known, long before the Savant, Thespian, Mystic, Novelist, and Vaudevillian came around, that Cedric needed a human heart. That was why Jetpack Girl made the mechanical heart, as an alternative.

She blamed herself for the mechanical heart not working. If it worked, then…

She shook her head, sighing.

She couldn’t worry about that right now.

Right now, she had to make sure that Vincent and Riley were okay, that his house was…well, livable, and to make sure all those that died got funerals (or in the cases of the Saloon Girl and Novelist, memorials because their bodies were stuck in different dimensions altogether).

* * *

 Eventually they settled into a routine—they converted the courtyard into a garden, to grow food for themselves so they could stay alive. In the meantime, they were living off a combination of whatever was in the Gingerbread Woman’s kitchen, as well as cooking whatever was in the pantry of the mansion. While that was going on, lots of housecleaning ensued. Vincent did a lot of sweeping and dusting, Jetpack Girl got rid of the dead bodies and handled all the toxic substances and other dangerous items, and Riley maintained the gardens and occasionally helped out Vincent with said sweeping and dusting. It worked.

Jetpack Girl was just relieved that she lugged all the dead-children-related items out of both kitchens _before_ Riley or Vincent could see them, because she doubted either of them could stomach the sight of it. Jetpack Girl herself was more adjusted to seeing dead bodies regardless of age, due to her past work with Cedric, but she didn’t like the idea of seeing dead bodies in the morning. Just…no. No, that wasn’t going to work.

All three of them ate together inbetween maintaining the manor, taking turns to cook. Riley didn’t know anything about cooking, and Vincent wasn’t exactly great at it either, so Jetpack Girl had to take over most of the time. (Riley and Vincent got better over time, _thank goodness for that.)_

 Jetpack Girl also was the one that actually left the house, out of the three of them. Living in the Victorian Era was a bit odd. It always was, given all the monsters that previously occupied this place. It made her wonder how the hell the inhabitants of this house ever survived being together in here in the first place, but no need to bother asking now since they were gone.

There was a town, some distance away from the manor. Because Riley nor Vincent knew the area well, Jetpack Girl decided to be the one to run to buy things, or sell whatever junk she could get for money at the pawnshop. Getting a job in the town wasn’t exactly an option for Riley or Vincent for various reasons, and Jetpack Girl wasn’t exactly sure how she herself could get a job with the only experience being working for Cedric, who was long gone by now.

At least they had food, shelter and company. 

* * *

She came back from buying food when she found Riley asleep in the Lounge again.

Riley seemed to like sleeping in the Lounge a lot, or at least that was where she ended up sleeping. Then again, there was a warm fireplace, probably lit by herself or Vincent to use, and Jetpack Girl figured that

Currently, Riley was asleep on one of the couches, her flaxen hair splayed out underneath her head, the blanket drawn over most of herself. Eyes closed, face relaxed, she looked…peaceful, for once.

Jetpack Girl felt a little twinge in her own chest at the sight of her being so peaceful, putting the bags of groceries down. It wasn’t often that Riley got to sleep well, so Jetpack Girl was glad she seemed okay. She usually had nightmares of the Sorceress, of her being trapped in that glass box for years on end, of being unable to save the Savant from his demise at the Sorceress’ hands.

Jetpack Girl knew Vincent also suffered from nightmares of times being stuck in a straightjacket, of being electrocuted and suffering hallucinations. Too often, Jetpack Girl had to wake one or both of them up in the middle of the night so the nightmares wouldn’t completely ruin their sleep.

Taking a deep breath, Jetpack Girl sat down on a nearby armchair again, watching Riley sleep. She eventually fell asleep like that, the warmth of the fireplace and the calmness of Riley’s presence overcoming her.

* * *

 

 Hours later, Vincent gently shook her shoulder, and she woke up to see his face, then she looked to the couch to see Riley gone.

“Vincent, um,” Jetpack Girl looked to him, then the empty couch, “The groceries—”

“I put them away.” His voice was soft, probably so he wouldn’t startle her more than he already did. “I made soup earlier. Riley went to sleep in her room just half an hour ago, you missed her.”

“I did.” She ran a hand through her short, blond hair (not really that short anymore, and _goodness_ she knew she needed to cut it sometime) and she sighed. “Do you have any leftover soup?”

He nodded. “Still in the pot. I can heat it up for you.”

“Sounds good.” She stood, so she and he could head to the kitchen.

“She loves you.”

She blinked, before staring at him.

“Wait, wait, back up—” This felt too soon, Jetpack Girl wasn’t sure how she felt about Riley completely— “Vincent, do you actually meant—”

He nodded.

“She loves you,” He repeated, dark eyes gazing into hers, “and you love her. What I see of you two is _real.”_

“Vincent…” How was she supposed to explain it? She swallowed, averting her gaze from his, and then looked to him again after a moment. “I don’t know if I…love her, you know? I mean, I care for her. And you, too. And….I need to figure things out.”

“All of us need to ‘figure things out,’ not just you.” He inhaled slowly, then exhaled. “She’s talked to me. She’s growing flowers for you.”

Riley literally growing flowers on her body, or in the garden itself? It was hard to tell what Vincent meant sometimes, but Jetpack Girl hoped he meant the latter. 

* * *

Jetpack Girl watched Riley gardening in the courtyard. The plants were budding, and there was a patch of dirt specifically for the flowers.

And they were pretty flowers, too. Jetpack Girl appreciated the nature of the outdoors. Given that she used to work in a lab all day for Cedric, it was…nice, to get some fresh air, get some fresh sights ingrained in her vision.

Also, she didn’t know how to garden, so there was that as well.

The way the sunlight illuminated Riley made her look like an angel, and she looked as peaceful as she was when she was asleep the other day.

It made Jetpack Girl wish _she_ was the one that killed the Sorceress, and not Riley. She knew she could have just shot down the Sorceress after she stabbed the Savant, and yet she didn’t. Instead, Riley had to be the one to slice the Sorceress’ throat.

And as far as Jetpack remembered and understood, Riley was, well…she’d been a little girl before, right? Trapped in that glass box for years, only for the first to do afterwards was murdering the darker side of herself…she didn’t deserve to suffer that. Any of that.

Jetpack Girl swore that she’d make sure Riley never had to do something like that again. She’d rather get her own hands dirty.

* * *

 

“Is your name _actually_ Jetpack Girl?”

It was Riley that asked her that, one day. Her eyes, wide like a child’s, only helped to bring that curiosity home.

Jetpack Girl shrugged. “I don’t really know any other names for myself. It just stuck.”

The thing is, Cedric had basically been one of the few humans she really knew growing up. And he just called her Jetpack Girl because she liked jetpacks (and eventually liked making them, too). Sure, Cedric was a grouch and tough to work for, but at least he…well, kept her alive and gave her a roof over her head.

Even Vincent looked slightly disturbed by this new information, but at least he didn’t comment. Thank goodness for that.

“Well,” Jetpack Girl raised an eyebrow, “What should I do? Change my name? Stick with it forever until the day I die?”

Both Vincent and Riley flinched at the word _‘die,’_ and Jetpack Girl remembered that it wasn’t a good idea to bring up any deaths.

“…sorry.”

The other two didn’t say anything, but the looks of their faces said ‘apology accepted.’ They knew she didn’t mean it. Then…

“Joanne?”

It was Riley that suggested the name, and Jetpack Girl felt her chest twinge again at the sound of her saying that.

“Joanne…” Jetpack Girl closed her mouth, swallowing. She paused, thinking, then spoke again. “What about…Jo for short?”

Riley smiled, and Jetpack Girl decided right then and there that Joanne (Jo for short) would be her name. Not that it stopped anyone from calling her Jetpack Girl, of course, but still.

* * *

 

 “She liked the name you gave her.”

“You think so, Vincent?”

“I’m sure. She smiled after you smiled at her saying she should be Jo for short.”

Jetpack Girl was already asleep in one of the bedrooms of the manor, Riley and Vincent unable to sleep but neither of them wanted to wake her.

Especially since they were talking about her. Both of them sat on the floor in Riley’s room, leaning back against the footboard of her bed.

Riley sighed, ran a hand through messy, flaxen hair, and looked to him. “Vincent?”

Vincent, who closed his eyes moments ago, opened one to look at her. “Yeah?”

“Does she love me?”

Vincent opened his mouth, then closed it, swallowing. Riley frowned, and he saw it.

“I don’t know.” He finally admitted. “She said she needed time to process.”

Riley felt herself frown even more. “How long?”

He sighed. “I don’t know.”

Silence fell between them, but then Vincent ran a hand through his own messy, dark hair, before speaking.

“Just ask her. I can’t…speak for her completely. I’m not her. I’m not you, either.”

Riley took a deep breath, closing her eyes. She knew that he was right, even if his mind worked differently from hers, even if he saw things that she didn’t. He wasn’t her, nor was he Joanne, and she opened her eyes before speaking again.

“I’ll talk to her.”

* * *

 

 Vincent set everything up as well as he could.

First, he made a pot of tea and got all the tea sets out. He’d also gotten better at cooking at this point and managed to bake scones. There wasn’t any butter left, but there was jam, so he brought those jars out too.

He made it a table for two, deliberately so. Wrote out notes on paper, trying to imitate Jetpack Girl’s writing and Riley’s writing, and then placed the cards in their rooms where they would find them after Jetpack Girl was done cleaning up the lab and after Riley was tired from gardening.

Both cards said the same thing— _tea is ready in the lounge._

He just hoped it worked. It worked in his mind, so it should work in practice.

Right? 

* * *

 

Jetpack Girl and Riley came into the lounge at about the same time, seeing the scones, jam and tea laid out for them.

“You made this?” Jetpack Girl asked, turning her head to face her.

Riley shook her head, a faint frown on her face. “I didn’t. I…I thought you made it, because you wrote that note…”

Then both went silent and realized, at the same time, exactly who set up the tea and scones for them.

“Vincent.” Jetpack Girl barely suppressed a laugh. “Of _course_ he did this.”

Riley’s face flushed warmly. “He….did.”

Jetpack Girl’s laughter vanished as she looked to Riley. “Do you, uh,” She swallowed briefly, “Do you know why he might’ve done this? Made it for just the two of us?”

“Um…” Riley paused, but then she remembered what she told Vincent last night. “I love you.”

Well, that was sudden. Jetpack Girl raised an eyebrow, eyes widening, but Riley kept going.

“I know Vincent told you. I wanted to tell you myself, but…I…” She looked down. “I wasn’t sure if I could.”

Jetpack Girl thought of how she wanted to protect her, how Vincent told her that night that Riley loved her, how she let Riley give her a name. A real name, not just Jetpack Girl—Joanne. She thought about the twinges she felt in her chest when she saw her, and how she felt when Riley told her, directly, that she loved her.

“Honestly,” Jetpack Girl (Joanne) smiled at her, “I think I love you, too.”

From just outside the room, leaning against the doorway and watching them, Vincent couldn’t help but smile as Riley kissed a now-blushing Jetpack Girl on the cheek.


End file.
